All Your Perfect Imperfections
by ihearttvsnark
Summary: When Emma can't sleep, she finds herself thinking about all the many sides that make up Killian Jones.


The sound of something repeatedly hitting her bedroom window pulled Emma from sleep. She opened one eye and peered across the room to the glass surface, watched as ice pellets continued to beat against the panes. She was already tired of winter and the season hadn't officially started. Emma closed her eyes and attempted to go back to sleep, but after a few minutes, she knew it was a lost cause.

She opened both eyes this time and looked at the clock. 2:47 a.m. Emma sighed and shifted to face the opposite side of the dark room, some of her irritation automatically slipping away at the sight of Killian. She was surprised he could sleep through the racket, but he'd explained to her once that while being a light sleeper came with the territory for a captain, he'd had many years to learn how to distinguish between irrelevant sounds and the ones that required him to be alert.

Emma watched him for a few minutes, forgetting the noise outside as she focused on the gentle rise and fall of his chest. He was sleeping peacefully, no furrow in his brow to hint at nightmares and he looked younger somehow like this. She was tempted to brush back the hair that had fallen across his forehead, but she knew that would wake him so she refrained. Someone in the apartment deserved to sleep through the night.

Letting her mind wander, Emma started to think about the tasks she needed to do in the morning. Henry was with Regina so she didn't have to worry about him getting off to school. She wanted to stop by the hardware store before she headed into the station. They'd been living in the new apartment for over a month, but there were still random odds and ends that needed to be taken care of, including putting together the bookshelf in Henry's room. Emma planned to handle it herself since Killian and her father had almost come to blows over the entertainment center that had taken _ten_ _and a half_ hours to build.

(To keep them from killing each other, her mother had cited baby Neal being tired as an excuse to leave and Killian had shredded the instruction manual with his hook the second they walked out the door. Fed up, Emma had used her magic to finish the assembly and Henry had just laughed as Killian muttered something about why she hadn't done that in the bloody first place).

Emma couldn't help smiling at the memory. By the time they'd met for lunch at Granny's the next day, Killian and David had already forgotten they'd been ready to draw their swords over furniture and it had just been a typical family meal (with plenty of interruptions from various Storybrooke residents). But that was their life and this was her home and she'd never been happier.

The man beside her was a major part of that happiness. Ever since they'd returned from their trip to the past, they'd spent all of their free moments getting to know one another. She knew it sounded silly because she'd been an open book to him since the day they'd met and even when her walls had been up, she'd still understood him and who he was underneath the innuendo and pirate swagger. But there were so many sides and layers that made Killian Jones the man he was and Emma loved uncovering each and every one of them.

She knew the hero – the man who had a chance to escape to another realm when everything was going to hell, but he'd come back with the bean because she'd asked him to be a part of something and he'd taken them to Neverland to get her son back. Then there was everything he'd done in Neverland like when he'd saved her father's life. He hadn't even wanted the credit. She remembered how uncomfortable he'd been when David had praised him in front of everyone.

But that had just been the beginning. He'd fought beside them and for them until Pan was defeated. Then he'd come back for her once more, giving up his home to bring her back to hers and once again he'd stepped into the heart of danger time after time (and across time) because he was a hero whether he acknowledged it or not.

The captain is another side of him that she'd seen firsthand. He was the one who had offered his ship and services to get them in an out of Neverland, a place that had brought him nothing but pain and suffering. He'd even set aside his vendetta against Rumplestiltskin once and for all in order to give them their best chance at rescuing Henry. Then he'd used his skills to outrun a goddamned curse to make sure that he kept his memories and had a way to get to her when her family was in trouble.

Even without a ship of his own, the captain still made appearances in Storybrooke. Before winter had settled in for the apparent long haul, Killian had taken her and Henry out on "borrowed" boats to teach them the ways of the sea. He liked to taunt her with the fact that Henry was so much better at tying knots than she was and Emma just rolled her eyes, but it made her heart swell when she saw how excited Henry was to show off his skills.

(On the trip back to shore after a lesson in navigating the stars, Henry had fallen asleep while Emma stood at the wheel with Killian. He'd proceeded to whisper all kinds of inappropriate things in her ear that he felt Emma exceled at until she'd threatened to toss him overboard because her son was less than ten feet away and the heat brewing low in her belly was _not_ okay. Killian had just laughed and held her a little tighter).

The infamous Captain Hook remained something of a mystery to her even though Emma had seen glimpses of the fearsome pirate on occasion. It had been Captain Hook who had attacked Gold while they were in New York and it had been Captain Hook who she'd met and distracted while they'd been stuck in the past, but she knew that drunken encounter hadn't exactly been telling of the man who had spent three-hundred years seeking revenge.

Killian didn't particularly like to talk about the man that he had been when he became Hook, but Emma knew the basics. She also knew that persona had been born out of grief and pain and Killian was not him anymore. He'd told her everything that had happened in the past year and how desperately he'd tried to go back to who he'd once been so he could drown out the pain of losing her.

The thought alone was enough for her to shift closer to him, the memories making her want to remind both of them that they were together now. His breathing remained steady, but the shift in position had him reaching out for her, his arm draped across her body and his fingers closed over her hip possessively. _Pirate_, she thought with a smirk.

Killian Jones was definitely still a pirate in so many ways and she'd rather swallow her tongue than admit it, but Emma enjoyed that side of him. He might not like to talk about Captain Hook, but he loved to tell stories of his adventures on the high seas and even with her superpower, Emma had a hard time figuring out how much of what he said was true. She supposed it didn't matter though because Henry and David were always entertained and egging him on once he got going.

(The last time it happened, they'd been at her parents for dinner. Killian had told them in great detail about how he and his crew had robbed a warship in broad daylight in the middle of the ocean. Henry and David had been on the edge of their seats and Emma had caught her mother's eyes and rolled hers. But by the time he'd finished the story, Snow had been grinning and Emma had felt actual pride for her ridiculous, smug pirate).

Like Captain Hook, Lieutenant Jones was another part of Killian's past that he didn't talk about often. Emma had learned about his brother's death from David and Killian had surprised her by bringing it up when they'd thought her mother had died. She knew how raw the pain was for him so she didn't ask questions. The few times the subject had come up, it had always been in the middle of the night when it was just the two of them, usually after a nightmare left him gasping and Emma did what she could to soothe him.

Even then she tried not to pry, but Killian had told her a few stories like the time his brother had insisted he accompany him to a royal ball and Emma smiled at the memory of their first dance. He'd told her about how much he'd wanted to be just like his brother and how proud he'd been to be his lieutenant on the ship. She'd laughed pretty hard when he'd acknowledged that there'd been a time long ago when he'd been against rum and followed the rules out of respect and love for Liam.

But most of the stories brought his pain to the surface and her heart ached for the young man who'd lost the only family he had. She'd kissed away his tears and held him as tight as her arms would allow as he'd buried his face in her hair and whispered endearments that once would have sent her running as far and as fast as she could, but now she just held onto him tighter. The words still didn't roll off her tongue the way they did his, but Emma knew how to make Killian understand what he meant to her without saying it.

The ice pellets began to hit the window with even more force than before and Killian stirred at the sound, but still didn't open his eyes. Emma placed her hand over his on her hip, rubbing light circles against his thumb. He muttered her name and tightened his grip on her, shifting even closer and she couldn't help the way her heart started to beat a little faster.

Killian was asleep and still trying to keep her safe. This was the man she knew best – the one who had continually laid his heart at her feet and never wavered from her side, even when she'd been downright cold to him. Emma's chest ached as her mind drifted to all the times she'd hurt him with her rejection and harsh words. But he'd kept his promise and knocked down all her walls without trickery until she'd _finally_ accepted that he wasn't going to leave her and she wanted him so much that it should scare her, except he wouldn't let her dwell on that fear. That was Killian Jones and he was all hers.

"Are you planning to go back to sleep, love? Or do you prefer to just lie here staring at my devilishly handsome face?"

Emma automatically rolled her eyes. His voice was heavy with sleep, but he still managed to sound smug and she wondered just how long he'd been awake. "For your information, I was watching the ice storm."

"It's bad form to lie, Swan." He finally opened his eyes and met her gaze as his fingers slid beneath the hem of her shirt to rest against her bare skin and there was nothing Emma could do to stop her body from shuddering. His smirk widened. "If you're cold, I could –"

"Stop," Emma warned. She placed her hand over his mouth to make sure he didn't say anything else. "It's the middle of the night and I don't need the pickup lines. Just kiss me, Killian."

The smirk was replaced by a sweet smile that made her heart skip a beat. "As you wish," he whispered before his lips met hers.


End file.
